Electric cigar-lighter.



J. L. SPENCE.

ELECTRIC CIGAR LIGHTER.

APPLICATION man APR.21, 1912.

1 35,853. Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

Q g %W L 3 nve/vflo z at Ghana WW Q M Q UNITED STATES JESSE LEE SPENCE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y

ELECTRIC CIGAR-LIGHTER.

To all whom it 772 (41 concern Be it known that I, Jnssn LEE Srnxcn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Xew York city, in the countyof New, York and State of New fork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Cigar-Lighters; and I do hereby de-. clare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates more particularly to' clectriocigar lighters for use on automobiles and Similar localities where jarring or vibration andrapid air currents may be expected. It has been found convenientto supply electrical cigar lighters on automobiles, supplied by current from the generators ordinarily carried by such vehicles. and the devices of this kind hitherto supplied have been subject to certain dis" advantages, among which are the following.

The lighting circuit is sometimes accidentally preserved after use, and, when the lighter is released by the user and allowed to hang id ly. the lighting surface, remaining in a state of incandcscence is apt to come in contact with the upholstery and burn it. One advantage of my invention is that it supplies shielding means which prevent such accidents 23 these.

When the car is moving rapidly there is more or less jarring, which "makes it di'filicnlt and inconvenient to applyithc incandescentlight surface toitlie cigar tip and to hold it there. My innention supplies a guiding and retaining means, whereby the use of the lighter is made certainiand easy under the circumstances mentioned.

Another advantage. of my invention is found in the provision of means, whereby the blowing about. of sparks and a lgs is; prevented.

In its preferred form my improvement comprises a. i movable grid 'and grid support, and the grid made easily removable from its support. At the same time, the in vention provides a. simple and reliab e means for bringing the grid into the circuit by the mere actof inserting the grid in place. y

The improved cigar lighter is illustrated in a. preferred form in the accompanying drawing. wherein Figure '1 is a front ele vation of the completelighter, -Fig. 2 a

vertical section of the same, the handle be-' Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 27;

Zatentcd Au 15917. 1917. Serial No. 164,840.

The cigar lighter proper comprises a protective and guidingmember and a removable grid and grid-support. In the form shown the former member consists of a hollow casing 10, shown octagonal in figure, and having a front aperture. 11. prcicrablv circular. as shown. I prct'cr to supply a conical surface 12 around the exterior of this opening, to facilitate guiding the cigar into the same.

\Yhile it is within th scope of my invention to insert the removable grid and sup port from back or sides. as desired. I prefer the form shown., vhcrein this element is inserted from the rear. The incandcscing metallic grid 13, of any usual form. directly supported by a heat resisting plate ll. of lava or the likc. This plate in turn rests upon the supporting cap 13. which I prefer to 'make of some refractory and insulating substance such as bakclitc.

I prefer to hold these three removable elements together by the simple trictional means shown. which also serve for auto-- matically establishing the necessary electrical connection when the grid is inserted. This means comprises two projections or cars 16, turned at right angles to the plane of the grid and forming part of it. which ears lit rather tightly into-recesses IT in the plate H and 18 in the cap 15. These tabs embrace the plate and cap tightly enough to provide a frictional securing means whereby the three elements are united in a manner permitting rcady separation for repairs.

salt the same time. these cars are so placed that, when the cap is in 'ertcd into the back of the casing 10. they wake close and effective electrical contact with the two terminals 19. mutually insulated. and embedded in the casing 10. as shown. (m-rent is brought to these terminals by the usual wires 2F, passing through the handle it. and circuit is controlled by any convenient form of swit h or push button 2). on tbc handle. This is:

sown in dotted lines in Fig. l. The cap allay be secured in place in any convenient manner, as, for instaucc. by a scrcw cn tering registering openings in the casing and cap.

In use, the end of the 01g r is thrust through the opening 11, which serves to guide it and at the same time to hold it steady against the incandescent grid in spite of any jarring. The sides of the casing 10 prevent the blowing about of ashes and sparks, and, at the' same time the incandescent grid is so far within the casing that it cannot come into contact accidentally'with the upholstery of the car or otherwise cause damage.

The whole device is readily separated for cleaning, repairs or replacement of parts.

\Vhat I claim is 1. In a cigar lighter, a casing forming a chamber having a relatively large opening at the back and a smaller guide opening at the front thereof, in combination with a cap for closing the larger opening, said cap having a reduced portion extending part Way into said chamber, a grid supported upon the inner face of the reduced portion of said cap, and controllable means associated with said grid adapted to close an electric circuit through the same at will 2. A cigar lighter having the characteristics set forth in claim 1 hereof, provided with a thin lava plate between the grid and the cap.

3. A cigar lighter having the characteris- JESSE LEE SPENCE. 

